When the World Cup kicked off a month ago, Belgium were considered unlikely contenders. Stripped of many of the icons who defined their peak years, the Red Devils arrived with question marks hanging over them — and those doubts only deepened when they found themselves 2-0 down against Senegal with just five minutes remaining in their last-32 tie.

Yet here they are, through to the quarter-finals. A stunning comeback against Senegal was followed by a dominant 4-1 dismantling of the USA on American soil — one of the most commanding performances of the tournament so far. Now a last-eight encounter with Spain stands between Belgium and a place in the semi-finals on Friday (20:00 BST).

A squad in transition

The names that defined Belgium's previous golden era — Eden Hazard, Mousa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, and Vincent Kompany — are long gone. But Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne, and Axel Witsel remain, and their roles within the squad have shifted considerably.

Courtois, 34, has played every minute in Qatar, producing the kind of commanding displays expected of one of the world's best goalkeepers. Yet De Bruyne, 35, sustained an injury during the Senegal match — and crucially, Belgium have won both games since his departure, scoring seven goals in approximately 130 minutes of play. Before he was injured, Belgium had won just one of their first three matches.

Lukaku, 33, has contributed three goals but has played fewer than 50 percent of available minutes, frequently entering the pitch as a substitute to punish exhausted defences broken down by the high-pressing intensity of 25-year-old Atalanta forward Charles De Ketelaere. Witsel, 37, managed only a single minute at the end of the USA victory.

Manager Rudi Garcia is not interested in the age debate.